


The Blood of the Phoenix

by The_Cinder_Crown



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Memories, Pensieves, Post DH, Secrets, frienship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-01 22:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8640949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Cinder_Crown/pseuds/The_Cinder_Crown
Summary: post DH. While vistiting his parents graves, Harry watches an unknown woman who apparently was very close to his mother Lily. But who is she? What does Professor McGonagall know about her? Will Harry - with Hermione's help and several trips into the pensieve - finally get what he had always dreamed of: a family? ADMM, HPGW, HGRW, OC, In progress,





	1. Every villain needs a plan

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!   
> This is chapter one of my story 'The Blood of the Phoenxi'.   
> I hope you like it! Feel free to comment and tell me what you think! I'm always happy to get feed-back! *hopes for something positive*
> 
> All the best,   
> Lexi

It was a dark place. And due to the recent events much darker than it has ever been. The forbidden forest has always been a rather scary place, but now the grounds were covered with blood and bones; dead bodies could be seen all over the place. But for some odd reason, there were still people gathering around, completely ignoring the corpses all around them. They all wore different emotions on their faces; anger, hate, disappointment, hurt, some of them even fear. The black, monotone and torn robes showing scratches, cuts and bruises, were a reminder of their former leader, the belief they shared and the battle they had recently lost. With the last stroke of the clock, two figures made their way up to a higher position to overview the crowd beneath.

“Gather around, my dearest friends, for we have the victory to become truly ours!”  An old man’s rusty voice echoed through the clearing.

“The victory is already lost! Our master’s been defeated!” Shouted a voice from the crowd and affirmative sounds followed his words.

Now the other person on the top made a step forward and contrary to her partner - whose robes still showed a slim and in every way masculine figure - her body was round and when she started speaking, the words came out of her mouth in a very high-pitched voice.

“It's true. The Dark Lord may be dead, but there is still something left for us! One thing they can’t take from us!”

“Our vengeance!” The man finished with a dramatic gesture.

Clarity replaced the puzzled looks on the others faces.

“We will take over the castle tomorrow! For all it’s worth, for it’s all we have left! And we’ll fight everyone standing in our way! Therefore we need all of you! Help us to make Hogwarts the school it was supposed to be years ago! Help me, help us, to right the wrongs! Or to say it with the words of the Ministry of Magic: _'Do it for the greater good, do what must be done!'”_

With these words, even the ones with little doubts left, joined in the applause. In order to prepare themselves for the very last battle, they left the forbidden forest with new found energy and in quite a hurry, leaving, apart from the dead bodies, only the two people on the mountaintop.

“This went better than I had ever imagined!" Said the woman excitedly.

“You have quite the persuasion skills, I might add, dearie. Though, it’s not really a hard task manipulating all their haunted souls for your own purpose.”

“Well, just don’t forget, that without my skills the Dark Lord would have finished you off right away, old man!”

“Oh, I did not forget. Otherwise I would not have joined you up here to gather all these idiots,” the man sneered.

Now the woman turned to face the man, confusion written all over her face.

“What do you mean, idiots? They’re following me, just like you do.”

The man started laughing.

“Oh, on the contrary, dearie! You stopped Tom from killing me, therefore I helped you get your followers and we are even.”

This said, the woman looked like she just got hit in the stomach, and she could not reply. So the man explained, still wearing a bright grin.

“As much as I’d love to rule over Hogwarts, there is one simple reason as to why I cannot join you: This whole attack is only for you to have backup to get your own vengeance and kill the person you hate most. Unfortunately, I have my own purposes for this person, and I need her alive.”

The woman, again, looked puzzled.

“But you do realize that she will be dead tomorrow, don’t you? I will kill her myself, didn’t you listen?!”

“Indeed, I did, but I doubt you’ll succeed,” he laughed, “even with your so called _backup_ , she’s still a pretty hard piece of work, you know.”

“I will succeed this time, and if it is the last thing I do!”

“Well, dearie, then our ways will part here. I wish you the best of luck, for you’ll certainly need it,” he laughed. “But I’ll give you this, as a little thank you gift, in case all else fails.” He handed her a short, but nonetheless sharp knife, wrapped in a scarf - probably to protect the blade. 

“That’s all?” The woman asked irritated, eyeing the knife skeptically.

“That’s all you’ll need” he said and grinned again. Just as he was about to vanish he turned around once again.

 “And maybe you should fix your hair before you go into battle tomorrow… this pink velvet bow there looks a bit burned if you ask me.”

 


	2. A castle in ruins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter some time last year and back then I couldn't believe, no I didn't want to believe it when I heard of Alan Rickman's sudden death!  
> This chapter is therefore dedicated to Alan Rickmann - a fabulous actor, who playedthe role of Severus Snape like no one else could ever have - and my grandma, and everyone else who fought or is still fighting their battle against cancer!  
> They will always be in our hearts! *always*
> 
> All the best, Lexi

It felt strange to walk through the Great Hall. The big doors at the entrance had been blown away one after another during the battle and the once so protective walls were also damaged. Dirt, rocks and glass splinters everywhere and remains blood were still visible on the ground.

Harry sighed. Nothing reminded him of the once so bright and wonderfully decorated Hall he had walked through all these years ago as a nervous first year. The broken windows had been fixed for the moment with a couple of temporary spells; undamaged tables and chairs had been rearranged and hospital beds with injured witches and wizards had been set up all around the Hall.

"Harry, dear, come sit down here and have a cup of tea with us! It is still dangerous strolling around the castle!" Molly Weasley shouted suddenly and Harry was torn out of his thoughts.

For a brief moment the young adult wondered how Mrs. Weasley could still care about everyone even though she recently lost one of her sons in the battle.

As he reached the big, round table in the middle of the hall, occupied with a lot of friends and Order members, he bent down and gave the red-haired woman a loving hug; then sat down next to her. She smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, dear. Now, a cup of tea?"

"Actually, yes, I would like that please. How are you holding up?" He added thoughtfully.

Molly sighed as she passed him a cup of hot, steaming tea. Judeging by the wonderful smell, he assumed that it was peppermint tea.

"Well, we've all been better and we lost so many friends and family members tonight, but…"

"Freddie and the others wouldn't want to see us crying over them!" George finished with a hint of a smile. Harry had to swallow. It was the first smile he had seen from the now lonely twin.

"Of course we'll miss them horribly, but George is right, we must learn to move on!" added Arthur Weasley.

Harry could see George grinning at his father.

"You know, dad, that's the first time in my life you said I'm right!"

Now everybody at the table grinned.

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear you saying that, Dad! You should really mark it in your calendar, Georgie!" Was the laughing reply which nobody had ever expected to hear again.

.

Everyone looked around, not believing their ears to have heard right.

"Eyes up, guys, I'm here!" sounded the familiar voice again.

George was the first one to follow the instructions and turned his head to the ceiling and his eyes went wide.

"F… Freddie?!" He stuttered, his wide eyes fixed on the silvery shining, transparent form of his now ghostly twin brother.

"Right, again, brother dearest! Twice in one day, that's certainly a new record!" Replied the ghost grinning.

Tears of happiness were flowing down Mrs. Weaslys cheeks, Mr. Weasley put his arms around his wife, unable to say anything. Ron, Harry, Ginny and Luna were smiling brightly, as did Hermione, though her brain was working again.

"How is this possible? You never were afraid to die. How can you be a ghost at Hogwarts?" She asked astonished.

Ghost-Fred grinned from ear to ear.

"Hermione, Hermione, do you really think I would miss such an opportunity to be in charge of all the fun?"

"Well, I think we should have expected something like that from you." Hermione shook her head, smiling nonetheless.

"Awesome," was all George said and one could practically see his mind connection with Fred's; already creating future plans and pranks together.

"Don't worry, Mum, it didn't hurt when I died. And as cruel as it sounds, a lot of us died really fast. No one had to suffer long!" Fred said reassuringly, giving his still crying mother a sympathetic look.

The others nodded, agreeing with the ghost.

"And a lot of them are still trying to fight death and recover from their injuries," said another voice from behind the table.

.

Everyone turned around. Hermione squealed, jumped from her chair and gave the approaching man a bone-crushing hug.

"Uncle Aidan! I'm so glad to see you! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too, Hermione!" He said and held her tight.

He was rather tall, had a well-trained body, blond hair, and dark, chocolate brown eyes. All in all he really was a very handsome man, though his once white clothes were like everybody elses' covered in dirt and blood.

When Hermione released him, he turned to the others at the table.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, sir! Hermione's told us a lot about you. Please sit down!" Neville said.

"Thanks, and please, there's no need for the 'sir'. Call me Dan." He said and sat down. "But I'm afraid I don't have much time. I'm here to help Madam Pomfrey."

"Aren't you needed at St. Mungos, Sir – erm Dan? If I remember correctly, you're Head Healer there, aren't you?" George asked seriously.

Aidan nodded and smiled.

"Yes, but due to the fact that the majority was fighting at Hogwarts, I decided, that I'd rather be here."

"And that's good, boy!" Came sharp voice from behind and everyone turned around once more; only to have their eyes go wide in surprise

" _Alastor!_ "

" _Professor Moody!_ "

" _Mad-Eye!_ "

" _Moody!_ "

" _Bloody Hell!_ "

Neville, Luna, George, Ginny and Ron starred wide eyed at one ex- Professor Alastor _"Mad-Eye"_ Moody as he sat down on the table, too.

"But, but but… he's _dead_!" Ron stammered.

"He doesn't look dead to me, Ronniekins," added Fred grinning.

Molly, Arthur, Harry, Aidan and Hermione didn't seem surprised by the sudden appearance.

Hermione sighed. "Honestly, Ron! You didn't believe that, did you?"

Ron just starred at her with his mouth hanging open, unable to speak.

"It was a cover-up story. Aidan made him a new magically rotating eye and went spying on the ministry." Harry said.

"You didn't really expect him to be falling of his own broom, did you?" Aidan asked grinning.

"No, of course not - It's just I haven't seen him in a really long time and…" Ron trailed of, blushing a bright crimson.

Moody just winked at him, his magical eye rotating.

"It's quite alright, boy! By now I'm kinda used to people thinking I'm dead."

Now Harry's head turned to Aidan.

"Speaking of haven't seen in a really long time… How's your wife? And daughter?" Harry asked smiling.

Though he had only once met Hermione's Uncle Aidan in person, ever since he started Hogwarts and became friends Hermione, he always received both a Christmas and birthday present from the Gold Family every year.

"Well, our little Arielle is securely taken care of at my father's house, and I'm gonna pick her after I'm done with my work. As for my wife…"

"Oh Merlin, she's dead, isn't she? She can't be! I haven't even met her yet…" Hermione panicked.

Aidan immediately shook his head.

"No, no, no Hermione. I'm sorry, I should have said it differently. Don't worry, she is _not_ dead. She sent me a Patronus earlier informing me that she ended the battle with only a few scratches. I'm just a little worried, because my definition of fine and hers are quite different... But I'm sure she'll be here soon." He said and squeezed Hermione's hand.

Suddenly Luna looked up.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. How can Hermione _not_ know her own aunt?"

"Yeah, we had to visit relatives all the time, including Great-Aunty Muriel…" Fred said exasperated.

"Well," Aidan stated sadly. "We both had rather demanding jobs, and whenever we had a family meeting, either Hermione or one of us couldn't attend. So even for the long time we've been married, Hermione had never really met my wife."

"Never really...?" Harry asked grinning; he had immediately noticed Dan's use of words.

The young surgeon smiled. "I doubt Hermione remembers sleeping in my wife's arms as a tiny little baby, do you?"

Hermione shook her head and everyone laughed. "Ellie probably won't remember me either... I haven't seen her for so long!"

"You will be seeing her soon, don't worry," Aidan assured his niece and smirked. "And who knows, maybe you left a good expression the last time you saw her."

Luna, apparently satisfied with the blond man's explanation, nodded in understanding and just then another person neared the table.

"Oh, Harry! I didn't really have the chance to congratulate you yet! May I sit down here with you?" Professor Slughorn asked, smiling brightly at everyone.

Harry saw the looks on the faces of his friends, but he was too tired to search for an excuse to get rid of the Professor. And he wasn't that bad after all.

"Of course, you may, Professor!" Harry said as politely as he could.

"I observe, this is quite the popular table, here…" Fred stated, still floating over the table.

Slughorn sat down on the table and patted Harry on the shoulder.

"Ah, thank you Harry. So what have you been talking about lately?" He asked.

The friends looked at each other; no one in the mood to answer the question. In the end, Aidan enlightened the Professor.

"Nothing much in particular. We were talking about my wife, Professor." He said form the other end of the table.

Slughorn apparently just recognized Aidan.

"By Merlins beard! Aidan Gold! Is that really you, my boy? I haven't seen you since your last Slugclub in your seventh year! That was when you had already started you apprentice-ship under Madam Pompfrey, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Aidan confirmed shortly. Apparently he wasn't in the mood to have a small-talk conversation with the Head of Slytherin House either. "I managed to get a joined apprentice-ship with her and St. Mungos as well as being accepted to the Asclepius Institute of Higher Healing and advanced Surgery."

Slughorn looked like he couldn't trust his ears and he slammed his fist against the table in a gesture of demonstrating how proud he was. "My, I knew you'd someday achieve something great in your life! And now I've heard that you are Chief of Surgery at St. Mungos? That's certainly something, myboy!"

Aidan faked a smile; he was obviously not comfortable with everyone's admiring eyes on him.

"Well, thank you, Professor..."

To everyone's disappointment Slughorn just kept on talking.

"Yes, yes, so I hear you have a wife and child? I haven't heard about your marriage, my boy! Do we know the lucky lady?" The Slytherin asked enthusiastically.

This time Aidan took a deep breath.

"I suppose you do, Professor. Though she's been your student for only a short amount of time, I'm sure you remember the former Miss Pendragon?"

Slughorns eyes widened - if possible - even more.

"Pendragon? Your girlfriend in your last year? The Ilvermorny-Champion who won the previous Tri-Wizard-Tournament held at Hogwarts?"

"The one and only." Aidan answered proudly.

Now everyone was listening excitedly to the conversation, but Hermione couldn't stop herself form asking.

"Wait, she won the Tri-wizard-Tournament?!"

"Indeed she did, Miss Granger! She was the very first girl ever to win the tournament. She had amazing magical skills!" Slughorn said, still a little astonished.

"Well, you had to be pretty good to survive something like that," Aidan stated a little angrily.

The others picked up Aidan's angry tone.

"Why, what happened?" Luna asked.

Aidan sighed.

"This tournament was in the first place way more dangerous than the one Harry competed in."

Molly Weasley starred at him.

"This is impossible, Aidan! These tasks were like deathtraps."

Aidan nodded in understanding.

"I'm aware of that, Molly! I was watching as well. But for Harry's tournament the tasks had been eased. His last task in the maze was similar to the first back then."

Everyone gasped at that.

"You've got to be kidding!" Fred and George shouted at the same time.

"I'm afraid not. Al…Professor Dumbledore insisted when he was informed that the second tournament was to be held at Hogwarts, that the tasks had to be simplified," Aidan replied.

"The Tri-Wizard-Tournament has always been a challenge but a security mistake like that one back then couldn't happen twice. So apparently he tried everything to prevent it this time..." Slughorn mumbled.

"Excuse me? Which security mistake?!" Ginny asked exasperated.

This time Moody answered.

"The ministry organized everything about the tournament, and needless to say, they screwed up. One reason Albus disliked them!"

"What happened?" Asked Ron nervously.

Aidan now bristled with anger.

"It was the final task. There's no need to go into the details, therefore long story short: They, like Harry, were sent into an arena, had to reach the Tri-Wizard-Trophy and once they touched it, they were to be transported out of the arena and it was  
supposed to be finished. "

"But it wasn't?" Neville asked afraid.

"No, it wasn't! My wife was the last one to compete. The others had already given up. She battled herself trough, but when she reached the cup nothing happened. To ensure the auditions safety a magical barrier – drawn by the ministry, of course – had been placed around the arena. A wrong incantation was used, which caused the portkey to malfunction and she was trapped."

Molly and Arthur looked shocked, as did Harry, Ron, Neville and Luna. Hermione covered her mouth with her hands, and Ginny and George just starred at Aidan.

"By the time the Professors were able to break through that stupid barrier, she was barely alive." Aidan finished.

Everyone starred at him now with big wide eyes.

"Bloody hell, she must have been one hell of a great witch!" Ron said still astonished.

"She still is. She was working as an Unspeakable in the department of Mysteries." Aidan said proudly and upon seeing Ron's confused look, he added, "They usually aren't allowed to speak about their work, therefore little is actually known about what they really do down there. All I can tell is that they do a lot of research about the origins of things like Time, Love and Death..."

Several of the younger ones gasped. But Professor Slughorn didn't.

"I cannot say I'm really surprised by that fact. Because even though I only taught her for that one year, I could tell Miss Pendragon was one of the most powerful witches I've ever seen. Besides your mother, of course, Harry," he said beaming.

Harry's heart warmed up at that statement, but he didn't reply.

"Well, and Minerva, of course! Even if she wouldn't admit it…" Arthur Weasley pointed out.

Slughorn just shook his head.

"Minerva _is_ the most powerful witch I've ever seen. Always was. But these two - Miss Pendragonand and Miss Evans – even reminded me a bit of her… they were the only ones comparable to her abilities."

Aidan said nothing; Harry starred at Slughorn.

"Wait a minute! Professor McGonagall was once your student?" He asked surprised.

Slughorn nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, yes, Harry, she was! I started teaching… when she was in her second year, I guess."

"Wow! So she had both you and Professor Dumbledore as her teachers?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Oh, no, Miss Granger! Albus started teaching the year after she graduated! He never was her teacher; it's a common misconception," he laughed.

Hermione wasn't the only one surprised by that statement. Well, apart from Aidan, who just gave a confirming nod, but didn't say anything.

"But I always thought Professor Dumbledore trained her to be an animagus!" Ginny pointed out, rather confused.

Slughorn only laughed more, so it was Moody who answered.

"Minerva's animagus-transformation had always been quite the mystery… I didn`t know she had accomplished it until there was an article in the daily prophet about her - "

" - being the youngest witch to ever make a successful transformation! I read that article a couple of years back; it was really interesting and - "

"HERMIONE!" Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Fred and George shouted at the same time to stop their friend from talking more about her beloved reading material.

"From what I know, Minerva had known Albus ever since she was a little girl. Therefore it's no wonder the two of them shared a very unique friendship. And after her parents' death, this friendship just grew stronger, I suppose", Moody mumbled.

"You shouldn't talk about things you don't really know anything about, Alastor!" stated a slightly angry voice coming from behind.

.

Everyone turned around again just to see Madam Pompfrey coming closer.

"Well, and you do know more specific details, Poppy?" Moody asked in his old grumpy manner.

Madam Pompfrey laughed.

"She's my best friend, of course I do! But it's not my story to tell and if you just had a bit of respect for your old friend left, you wouldn't sit here spreading rumors!"

Harry thought this was the very first time he saw Alastor Moody speechless. Come to think of it, this had also been the first time Moody talked about something other than war, death and constant vigilance…

But before Harry could let his mind wander any further, Madam Pompfrey spoke again.

"Good. Now I just wanted to let you know, Aidan, that I may need you in half an hour to make an all-round check-up on everyone."

Aidan nodded.

"Please make sure not to forget the ones resting here in the Great Hall! The hospital wing is way too crowded so we had to expand…"

"Don't worry, Poppy, I will." Aidan said reassuringly.

"Thank you, dear! What would I do without you?" she smirked and patted him lightly on the shoulder before she headed off to the hospital wing again.

Aidan shook his head, smiling after her.

"When he wakes up and finds out that we tied him to one of the hospital beds, it would be _you_ \- and not me - who had to deal the wrath of one bloody furious Severus Snape!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and little Arielle's nickname is Elle or Ellie (just in case you were wondering :)
> 
> I hope you like it so far


	3. Better late than never

Everyone stopped dead in track just to stare at Aidan, wide eyed and open mouthed.

"What did you say, Dan?" Harry asked astonished.

"That Severus will be in a horrible mood when he wakes up," he sighed.

"But Nagini… she killed… we saw him die!"

Aidan looked at all of them surprised. "Oh, Minerva didn't tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Molly asked confused.

"Severus survived! His wounds were treated with what Poppy suspected to be Phoenix tears and he left the Shrieking shack to join the battle," Aidan explained.

"Unbelievable! Minerva didn't say a word!" Moody grumbled.

Aidan shot Moody a slightly angry look. "Well, you cannot really blame her, Alastor. The woman hasn't slept for days and yet she's still running this whole place to make sure everyone is taken care of. She was also the one who found Severus passed out on the grounds and brought him back here."

Harry tried not to grin too much as he observed that both Aidan and Madame Pomfrey possessed the courage to speak with Mad-Eye like this. It probably had something to do with the fact that no one dared to correct Medi-witches or Surgeons, for they were right most of the time.

"But he will be alright?" Asked Hermione hopefully.

"Yes, he will most certainly be. We gave him a sleeping potion, to make sure he gets enough rest. His injuries were quite severe after all – Phoenix tears or not. And he has to be under constant supervision from the hospital staff – hence the handcuffing to the bed," Dan answered with a grin.

"I need to speak with him." Harry stated suddenly.

The healer nodded. "You can visit him as soon as he feels up to it. Though I cannot tell you how long it will take."

"Thanks, Dan, " was the relieved answer.

Hermione and Ron gave him understanding looks. They knew how important it was for him to sort things out between them; especially after Harry had seen the memories about the potions master and his mother.

Harry then stood up and looked at Ginny.

"Do you mind to come with me for some time? There is someone else I need to speak to."

"Of course I'll come."

Before Harry could say anything, Aidan spoke. "Don't worry, Harry, I'll inform you the moment Severus wakes up."

Harry nodded again, grateful. "Thanks, again."

And with that he grabbed Ginny's hand and walked out of the Great Hall to the front gates – or rather the remains of the gates – and they vanished.

.

Once they had reached their destination, Ginny looked around to see where Harry had taken them.

"It's the graveyard of Godric's Hollow," Harry explained. "I – I have to see my parent's grave. Hermione and I discovered it last Christmas. But we couldn't stay for too long."

Ginny gave him a sad smile. "Now you have all the time you need, Harry." She said and they walked in silence, hand in hand on the small way, leading to their destination.

Just as they reached the last corner, they heard a soft voice and Ginny and Harry stopped immediately to see a cloaked figure already standing in front of the grave they were looking for.

"He did it, Lily! He really did it! You would have been so proud of him! ... I know I am!"

The words were spoken so soft and gentle, that Harry and Ginny decided to remain hidden behind some big bushes.

From their position they couldn't see the figure's face, but from the voice and the curves of the cloak - which was pretty torn and bloody at some places - the couple could tell it was a woman.

In order not to disturb her and maybe gain some more information, they tried to listen closely to every word the woman said.

"It's so terrible how many lives we lost today," she continued in a sad voice "Remus, our last Maurauder's gone, and so is Tonks. Luckily Andromeda is taking care of the poor little Teddy... It's so sad that he has lost his parents at this young age. And Fred Weasley, one of Mollys twins."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other; surprised at how much this woman knew. And even though she wasn't aware of Fred's new ghostly reappearance, she was quite well informed about what was going on at Hogwarts.

Now she bent down on her knees and conjured a nice little bunch of flowers in front of the graves.

Harrys heart warmed up as he recognized the flowers: lilies. Then he felt Ginny's hand on his shoulder, offering him comfort.

"Oh Lil, I miss you so much," she said and Harry was sure he saw a single little teardrop falling to the ground. And with each passing minute he got to like this woman more and more.

"Máthair does, too. I cannot even imagine how Harry must fell right now."

At these words Harry's eyes went wide. This woman apparently knew him! But then again - who didn't these days?

"I feel so terrible, L. He went through so much in his life, and he did it all by himself. I'm just so glad he had Ron and Hermione with him, and now dear Ginny."

At this point Ginny got even more curious as well, and she too developed a feeling of sympathy for the woman.

Harry also noticed that the woman was apparently used to call his mother 'Lil' and 'L'. _They must have been close enough to call each other by a nickname._

"Merlin knows, he's got James talent to get himself in trouble to last decades!"

Harry just smirked at Ginny, but he was still astonished how much she knew about his parents. Maybe he should get up and just ask her if -

But Ginny seemed to guess what he was thinking and she hit him with her elbow and sent him a look, clearly telling him not to move.

_She's righ,_ Harry thought. He could, and would in any case, ask her about his parents. He waited long enough, so a couple of minutes more wouldn't hurt.

The woman slowly got up again and starred down on the grave.

Now Harry could see that her robes were really torn apart and on some points he spotted big amounts of blood on them. So she apparently fought in the final battle as well.

"I failed him, Lil, and I failed you," Harry could hear the desperation in her voice and he immediately fell sorry for the woman, even if he didn't know what exactly she was talking about.

"I promised you to take care of him. I promised you to do everything in my powers to keep him safe. He led a terrible life with his awful relatives and I couldn't do a thing. Damn this blood protection!"

Harry's eyes widened in shock. _How could she possibly know about the blood protection? Maybe she was a member of the Order of the Phoenix…_

Well, she apparently did have a pretty close relationship with his mother, but the more he wondered about the promise she gave her.

"He doesn't even know who I am... I never had the chance to tell him, it was just too dangerous to even talk to him. But all the times I watched him, I could see how much he needed someone he could trust! Before, and especially after Sirius' death..."

The mention of his godfather made Harrys heart ache with pain.

"She watched you?" Ginny whispered with big eyes.

Harry hadn't thought about that yet. _She watched me all those years and I never noticed? She really must care about me… but why never telling me?_

He was about to reply when the woman spoke again.

"Now the war is over I'm able to tell him…"

_Tell me what?_ Harry thought desperately.

"But I'm not really sure if I should… it seems my Gryffindor courage is failing me… He deserves to now, but I think he's so grown up by now he won't need me anyways…"

Harry could hear her voice was full of grieve and regret.

"Honestly, I'm a little afraid to tell him, Lily. I couldn't bare seeing disappointment, anger or hurt in his green eyes… I love him too much to be able to see this sort of pain."

Harry was starring at her, frozen. _She loves me?_ His heart was beating faster and he was getting more and more exited with each passing minute.

"And to make matters even worse, Harry's got every right to hate or abandon me!" she whispered and more tears were falling to the ground now. "Let's face it, Lil - I'm a terrible godmother!"

With that, she turned around and with one last glance at the grave, and apparated away.

.

To say Harry was shocked was a huge understatement.

His legs felt like jelly and he leant heavily on Ginny to prevent himself from falling.

_He really had a godmother?_

Ginny herself didn't know what to say, so she just squeezed Harrys hand with her own, trying to offering him comfort.

"This woman is my _godmother_?" Harry asked again, this time aloud.

All Ginny could do was nod in agreement.

Harry looked into her eyes.

"I… I'm so confused, Gin. I can't believe that no one ever told me I have a godmother. It feels like – I don't even know what I feel for Merlin's sake!" He said, anger clearly visible on his face, and stood up, pacing in front of his parents grave, trying to sort out all the things in his head.

"Honestly, Harry, I think not a lot of people knew about this," Ginny said, also kind of lost in her own thoughts.

"Why would you think that?" He asked, confusion taking over the angry expression on his face.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. All I can tell you is that it seems to me like she really cares for you, Harry. She clearly wanted to tell you, and she was blaming herself for your horrible time with the Dursleys."

Harry was silent. He hadn't thought about it that way…

"She said she watched you all the time," Ginny continued, "and just because you never saw or talked to her, doesn't mean she was never close to you."

"She was close to my mother," Harry added.

"I think so, too. Therefore I am convinced she must have had her reasons for not telling you."

Harry sighed and knelt down in front of his parent's grave, like the woman – no, his _godmother_ , he corrected himself – did a couple of minutes before him.

"She said she loves me," he said, without taking his eyes of the grave, tears falling down his face.

Ginny put her arms around him, holding him close.

"Yes, I really think she does."

For several minutes, neither of them spoke a word. Both were lost in their own thoughts.

Then Ginny stood up slowly, giving Harry a kiss on his forehead and whispered, "I think you might want to be alone with them. I'll wait at the for you over there. Take all the time you need."

She squeezed his fingers once more, then walked over to a nearby bench.

Harry took a deep breath.

"You were very close, weren't you, Mum? I'm glad you had someone to rely on. I love you."

He also conjured a single lily and placed it next to the others. Then he walked back to Ginny.

"Harry, I know it is probably a lot to take in, but – I think she deserves a second chance… Could you at least think about forgiving her?" Ginny asked, looking at him with her big brown eyes.

Harry took her hand in his and took a deep breath.

"There's no need to think about it," he whispered, his voice full of emotion, "I have already forgiven her."

"You have?" Ginny sounded surprised.

Harry nodded, a smal smile on his face. "Surprisingly, yes. I have a lot of questions, but in the end I came to the conclusion that I _have_ a godmother now. We already spent all those years apart – which apparently was quite difficult on her, too – and I don't want to waste anymore time."

Ginny smiled and kissed him. "I'm glad. She seemed to be so really nice."

"I know. And how do the muggle say? Better late than never, right? There is one problem however."

She looked confused. "And what might that be?"

He took her hand and held her close, ready to go back to Hogwarts. "Well, for starters, I have absolutely no idea who she really is or where to find her," he said and a second later they vanished in the air.


	4. A rather one-sided conversation

The old man felt his feet touch the ground. His black robes still swirling around, he took a deep breath, sucking in the stale air. He sighed. Destination, determination, deliberation. Then he shook his head, laughing. _'The three D's'._

_Even back in the days textbook writers thought all those dunderheads would remember things easier by choosing words beginning with the same letter. Pathetic._

Though he was one of the view who were able to resist the more than embarrassing habit of vomiting after each apparition, he had to admit that after all those years he had forgotten about the slight feeling of dizziness that came along with this certain way of transportation.

_Well, I've got enough time now to get used to it again_ , he supposed and brushed of the last remains of dirt from his robes and out of his grey hair – _why in the name of Merlin do they_ always _have to hold their meetings in dirty and dark forests?_

He took of his cloak and put it over a nearby chair as he walked further into the room. His so called destination had been a small apartment in Diagon Alley, which he assumed must have cost quite a fortune some time ago. But, war and time apparently didn't only take their tolls on people.

It did indeed look like the placed had not been used in many years, judging by the layers of dust on tables, chairs and unbelievable small bookshelves. Ridiculous pictures of fat cats were hung up on the walls, which were painted in the same bright pink color as the carpet on the floor.

It wasn't his taste at all, but the stupid woman told him herself – in her annoying high pitched voice – that she had barely ever used it and would probably never come back.

The man smiled. _She didn't even realize what a mistake it was to tell me about this place_. The pink-loving woman would never suspect him to take over her little home for the time being. _Actually no one ever will._ Of course, it would probably take him some time to get used to all the pink _– and the annoying creatures in the pictures -_ but besides that, it was a real improvement.

Especially in comparison to the bloody forest and his earlier establishments - _where_ everyone _expects me to be._

The old man walked across the room and opened another _– pink –_ door and stepped happily into the next chamber. With a wave of his right hand, the fire in the chimney lit on and the room lightened up.

"I do apologize for my tardiness, my friend, but I never expected this little come-together to last so long," he explained, sat down on another _– pink –_ chair and looked at the brown-greyish haired man sitting on the opposite end.

He waved his hand again and a candle appeared on the table, the light reflecting in the other man's eyes.

"Ah, yes, that's better. Every table looks so much nicer with a beautiful little candle on it _– even a pink one –_ what do you think?" He asked.

The other man nodded in agreement.

Apparently pleased with his previous work, the old wizard made another movement with his hand – though this time it was his left – and a bottle of wine accompanied by two fitting glasses came flying out of a nearby shelf and floated to both men at the table.

He poured the same amount of the red liquid into both glasses, placed one of them in front of his guest and began to drink the other one himself.

When the old man looked up from his now empty glass, he noticed that the other man didn't even try to touch his drink. Instead his face showed a rather longing expression.

"Oh, I forgot. I couldn't believe it when I first heard the news, but now I see it for myself. Yes, you quit drinking after you were forced into – _what did they call it again?_ – early retirement, didn't you?" He nodded again.

"What a shame. The wine is really good. But I assume you already know that. You were the one who gave it to our dearest pink-loving lady in the first place. You really did make an impression on her! She wouldn't stop telling me about you and how much she adored you…"

Now the slightly younger man slowly closed his eyes, groaning. Despite the age difference between the two, the younger man had almost the same amount of wrinkles on his face. And even though the old man's dark hair was coloured grey by now, the younger one's was already streaked.

"Yes, I know exactly how you feel. It is quite tiring listening to her. I still don't quite understand how you managed to have this kind of working relationship with her for so many years." The old man spoke, shaking his head. "But on the other hand, you've known our _'little Miss Pinkie'_ since your own years at Hogwarts, haven't you?"

The old wizard poured himself another glass of wine.

"But let's get to the important things. I am sure you are quite interested in the outcome of our little _meeting_ earlier."

Though it wasn't really a question, he received a nod in agreement again.

Smiling, the old wizard continued. "Well, it was less difficult than I expected. Fascinating, really, how easy it is to manipulate people when you know their weakness. The information you gave me were most appreciated. I suspected them to be at odds with each other, but I was not aware of the pure hate and outrageous jealousy our dear _Pinkie_ has against her target. So I made sure she had enough _'backup'_ which should give her a feeling of safety."

The other man looked confused.

"Don't give me that look. You were the one who told me that our _'Pinkie'_ wanted to eliminate her _'persona non grata'_ years ago, but all her attempts were unsuccessful! You also mentioned that she was too much of a coward to confront _her_ on her own."

He continued when he saw the confirming, but hesitant nod. "Therefore I gathered a few people who were rater – _what's the best way to call it? –_ yes, _surprised_ to see me again. And after a persuading speech and some demonstrations of my quite professional and advanced magical abilities, they agreed instantly and offered their assistance."

The eyes of his guest went wide.

The old wizard grinned. "Oh yes, I am sure you ask yourself now why I would do such things. Helping a woman gain followers who – except a few of them – only play along because of me?" His grinned even wider now. "Well, you assume correct. I want her to end up fighting alone and of course, loose in the process! Like I said to our little _Miss Pinkie_ before, I have my own purposes for her target and I need the witch alive."

His dark, almost black eyes began to sparkle with excitement when he saw that his guest looked more and more confused with each passing minute.

"Yes, but why giving her a cursed and consequently deadly knife then, you might ask?" He continued after the confirming nod. "Well, the answer is quite simple. This whole plan has only one purpose: Time. I have to admit, that I am not in quite the shape I once was. This knife never misses its target. It won't kill her, but a lot of damage will be done and the recovery will take some time. Until then I will - hopefully - have prepared all I need to act on my actual plan to get what I want."

Laughing, he was getting up and walking to the door. Before he reached it he turned around to face his guest once more.

"Once again, I thank you for your _cooperation_. And please, you should consider yourself happy! Even though it was a rather one- sided conversation on my part, I really enjoyed it! And contrary to most people who have a little chat with me, you are still alive, Cornelius!"

This said, the old wizard vanished into the dark, leaving nothing but a slightly bleeding and half unconscious Cornelius Fudge behind; tied and gagged up on his chair at the end of the pink table.


	5. Affairs of the heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first of all thank you all for reading! 
> 
> I hope you like it so far! I try to update regulary from now on... I will give my best :)
> 
> Now, without further ado, here's the next chappie :)

"So, what are you planning to do now?" Ginny asked once they reappeared near the Hogwarts front gates.

Harry sighed.

"I'm not sure, Gin. On the one hand I really want to find my _godmother_ ," he smiled at the word, "on the other hand, I don't want to bother everyone by asking too many questions and - "

"Harry." Ginny cut him off, smiled and gently touched his face with her hand. "I can promise you that everyone will be eager to help you. If it makes you feel better, you don't have to inform the whole wizarding world, only tell a few of your friends about her. Besides, you saved all of us. You deserve some happiness, too, you know."

"If you say so." He smiled, took her hand in his and kissed her cheek.

Hand in hand the couple walked back to the castle, enjoying each other's company.

"Ooohhh looky looky, what do we have here? Sneaking away from everyone to have some _private_ time alone, are we?" Sounded a laughing voice through the corridors.

Harry and Ginny spun around, letting go of each other's hand instantly.

"Fred!" Ginny said exasperated, "stop doing this! You have been a ghost for less than two days and you are already getting on my nerves!"

Fred, who seemed to enjoy this immensely, laughed even more. Harry noticed that only his head was visible, the rest of his body still stuck inside the wall he had been floating through.

"But this is just too much fun! And I promised dad to keep an eye on everything and everyone, especially you, sister dearest!" He said and blew her a kiss with his ghostly hand. "To make sure you behave."

Both Ginny and Harry blushed.

"If you keep an eye on _everything_ , then tell us, did we miss anything important while we were gone?" The redhead asked, clearly trying to change the topic.

"Nothing special, really. Snape, sorry _Professor_ Snape still hasn't joined the world of conscious wizards, Hermione and our little Ronnikins were snogging in one of the old broom closets, Adian's taking a break at the table again and – "

"Ron and Hermione were snogging in a broom closet?!" Harry and Ginny shouted at the same time, starring at the ghost with wide eyes.

"Yes, caught them myself!" The ghost said with pride in his voice. "They looked quite flushed, and even a little embarrassed, can't imagine why though…"

"Of course you can't," Ginny grumbled so only Harry could hear it and he smirked.

They continued their walk, trying to ignore ghost-Fred following them, and entered the Great Hall again when they heard another voice.

.

"Mr. Weasley, may I have your attention for a moment?" The voice sounded stern, but Harry also detected a trace of exhaustion in it.

He turned around and saw Professor McGonagall coming towards them.

Aidan was right, she really didn't look good. She had dark circles under her usually vibrant emerald green eyes, her black robes were messed up and a few strands of her usually tied up ebony hair fell loose from its bun. Contrary to everyone else, she apparently didn't even rest for a single second since the end of the battle.

"Yes, Professor, like always, you'll have my full cooperation!" Fred said, brought his hand to his head and saluted to the approaching witch.

Said witch clearly tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she looked up at the ghost and shook her head.

"I am glad you enjoy your new – _lifestyle –_ Mr. Weasley. Now, considering the order given by your father to keep an eye on everyone, I am sure you could help me find Doctor Gold? " She looked at him expectantly.

Fred's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, he finished his check-up round and sat down on the big table at the end of this hall. But how did you know I said – "

"Let me give you some piece of advice – _Mr. Weasley, wasn't it?_ Always be careful what you say when an animagus is around. They don't just hear a lot they are not supposed to hear, they also tend to get very edgy when they are overworked. Especially cats."

.

Harry had just noticed him, though he apparently had been here the whole time.

Next to Professor McGonagall stood a tall man in dark blue wizarding robes, also slightly torn apart and worn out. Harry assumed he had to be around the same age his transfiguration Professor was, considering the fact that his - what he assumed to be once brown - hair was now streaked with grey.

The most amazing thing was that his eyes had the colour of a light silver grey, something Harry had never seen before.

Ginny, too stared at the wizard. She, however was less amazed by the colour of his eyes but more by the way he dared to speak about their Professor.

Fred stared at the silver eyed man, a broad smile making its way over his face. "Thank you, Sir, these information are most appreciated! It seems to me you have quite the humerous side... You don't happen to know something about _"The greatest Book of Jokes"_ written by _Jonathan Giggles_ , do you? It is supposed to be – "

" - hidden somewhere in the restricted section of the library. Yes, I have indeed heard about that particular book, but unfortunately – "

" _Unfortunately_ ," Professor McGonagall interrupted, "the library is unavailable at the moment and - like most of the rooms of the castle - burried underneath a tonne of rocks."

Both men, well, one man and one ghost, looked quite disappointed.

"Oh, come on now, you old wizard! Leave the mischief to the actual pranksters," the transfiguration mistress continued to everyone's surprise.

"Was that an invitation to make trouble, Professor?" Fred asked excited.

Harry, Ginny and the elderly wizard looked at the emerald green eyed witch. Her mouth twitched and a small smile appeared on her face. "Not trouble, Mr. Weasley. But in these times we all need something that can make us smile once in a while."

They all stared at her open mouthed. "Awesome, Professor!"

"Now, we really need to see Aidan. Are you two coming with us?" She directed the question at Harry and Ginny.

"Yes, Professor, that was our intention."

"Then come along. And for the record, I am neither edgy nor overworked," she said the last to her companion, who gave a small chuckle, then took her arm and guided her to the table.

"Whatever you say, Min."

Smirking at each other, Harry, Ginny and a floating Fred followed their Professor and her friend.

The people on the table were almost the same as before. Apparently Slughorn had left and the only new addition was apparently Neville's grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. Harry had only seen her once on a picture his friend had shown him; and of course he still remembered the Boggart lesson in his third year, when Professor Snape stepped out of the cupboard, dressed with the same ridiculous head the witch was wearing right now.

But before either of them could say a word, Moody jumped up from his chair – the best way he could considering his leg – and pointed his finger at Professor McGonagall.

"Where you ever going to tell us that Snape's alive, Minerva?"

The transfiguration mistress waved her hand, causing Moody to forcefully sit back on his seat again.

"It appears to me that you are already perfectly well informed; so stop fussing around Alastor," she snapped.

Moody's magic eye rotated like crazy and one could see that he was about to get up again, when Aidan once again flashed him a look.

"We already talked about this, Moody, there is nothing more to say."

Moody still looked angry, but he seemed to be calming down. Aidan turned his attention to the newly approached group.

"Good. Now, why don't you all take a seat?"

Professor McGonagall shot Moody one last glare, then sat down along with Ginny and Harry. When her friend remained standing behind her chair, she looked at him questionably.

"Are you planning on standing there the whole time, Xemerius?" The witch asked with a smirk.

The silvery-eyed wizard shook his hand, smiling slightly. "Ah, you know me, Min... The old knee's causing trouble again."

"Tell me when it gets worse, I can give you a potion that might help," Aidan pointed out.

Hermione looked at Xemerius with new found interest. "Excuse me, Sir, I don't want to be rude, but who are you?"

Instead of Xemerius, Professor McGonagall answered. "I do apologize for not introducing him earlier, Miss Granger. This is one of my oldest and most trusted friends, Xemerius Brooks; we have known each other since our first year at Hogwarts."

Hermione's eyes widened. "As in _Professor_ Brooks? The expert on muggle studies and Headmaster of the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America?"

Xemerius grinned at the young witch. "I see my reputation precedes me."

"Is it really true that the school is hidden on top of Mount Greylock?" Hermione got more and more excited with each passing minute.

And even Harry had to admit that he wanted to know more about Xemerius. He seemed to have a really funny side for holding such a high position in the best magic school in the United States.

"Yes, but it sounds more exciting than it really is." Was the swift reply. "It's like getting a new school book. Exciting at first, but really annoying when you have to study the contents."

"Of course you would say that, Xem! You were never really fond of books. I remember you didn't touch your divination book once back in school!" Augusta Longbottom laughed.

"Oh honestly, Augusta, no one ever read that thing," Xemerius grinned. "Not even Min. She only brought it to class to transfigure it into a pillow to be more comfortable during the lesson."

Everyone stared at the transfiguration mistress. She turned around to face her silver eyed friend, trying to give him her famous death glare, but failed when she saw the boyish grin on his face and decided to hit him playfully in the stomach instead, smiling.

"You really had to mention that?"

"Well, it was either that or the fact that most of the time we skipped the class anyways. Ah, now I told that, too! My, silly me!" He grinned even more when he saw his friend bury her head in her hands, trying to ignore the laugher around her.

When everyone was able to breathe normal again, Professor McGonagall looked at Aidan.

"Now, the actual reason I came here is because I need to show you something," she said and put her hand into the pocket of her cloak, searching for something.

Aidan sighed, and looked from one Professor to the other.

"And here I really thought Xem managed to get you to take a break for some time."

Xemerius shrugged. "Hey, I gave my best. You try it and convince this stubborn witch to rest."

Professor McGonagall, who apparently found what she was looking for, interrupted the two men.

"I am not stubborn and I will rest when my work is done. Now, would you please do me a favor and take a look at this poor thing? Xemerius and I found it when we came back from examining the quiddtch pitch – or rather what's left of it..."

She took her hands out of her cloak and Harry could see that she placed a small bat on the table, which – to everyone's surprise - didn't even try to escape.

"I think it's got a broken wing. I know you don't usually treat animals, but Poppy told me you finished your check-up round, so – "

Aidan smiled. "Don't worry; I don't think there is such a great difference between healing these and human bones. I'll take care of it."

Professor McGonagall smiled back at him, patted him on the shoulder and prepared to stand up from her chair. "Thank you, dear."

"I have, however, one condition." He looked at her expectantly.

"And what would that be?"

"You stay here for another 30 minutes and relax."

The transfiguration Professor seemed to consider it for a moment, then sighed and sat down again. "Fine."

Harry saw Aiden smile triumphantly and Xemerius gave him a thumb up.

.

"Can we name it?" Luna asked suddenly "I really think every animal deserves a name and it is way nicer than always calling it ' _the bat'."_

Everyone at the table smiled, Professor McGonagall included.

_Leave it to Luna to lighten up the mood in every situation,_ Harry thought.

"I am open to suggestions, Miss Lovegood," the emerald witch replied and looked at the blonde girl.

Luna seemed to think for a moment. " _Batty._ I think we should call it _Batty."_

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Well, then Batty it is."

Luna beamed at her and Xemerius smirked; then patted his friend happily on her shoulder. "Congratulations, Min, it looks like you just got yourself a new pet!"

This said everyone broke into laugher again.

Harry turned to Mrs. Longbottom, curiosity getting the better of him. "Are these two always like this?"

"Xemerius and Minerva?" She asked. "Oh yes, they have been playing cat and mouse for years. Literally."

Harry had to hold back his laugher when he remembered that his Professor's animagus from was indeed a cat.

But his smile sadly didn't last long; it appeared as soon as it came.

The remains of the doors to the Great Hall were blown open. A mass of people dressed in black robes stormed in, wands in their hands, ready to attack.

.

Professor McGonagall reacted faster than Harry could think.

She flicked her wand and in what appeared to be a smooth combination of complex spells, she had everyone – witches, wizards, injured people lying in hospital beds and even Batty - levitated to the back of the hall within seconds and protected with a shield charm around them.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded to know, standing alone in the middle of the hall; facing the intruders.

Harry as well as his friends tried to get through the shield charm, but every attempt failed.

He could hear Xemerius cursing next to him. "Damn it, Minerva! Let us in there you bloody stubborn witch! You're getting yourself killed!"

For the first time since Harry had met the elderly wizard, he could see fear written in his silver eyes and also another expression he couldn't really place.

"I won't ask again, what the _bloody hell_ is going on?" The transfiguration mistress cursed in a scottish accent, her wand ready in her hand.

"As I can see, you still have trouble controlling your temper, Minerva," sounded a somehow familiar, high pitched voice from the middle of the black crowd.

When the people in the first row of the mass stepped aside, Harry couldn't believe his eyes when he saw whom the voice belonged to.

Her wand pointed directly at Professor McGonagall, dressed in a ridiculous pink dress and wearing a - what seemed to be slightly burned - pink velvet bow in her hair, stood one _Dolores Jane Umbridge_ , laughing hysterically.

.

Aidan's eyes widened in shock, several people paled instantly and Xemerius tried to break through the shield once again. "Minerva, let us in!"

Professor McGonagall didn't look at him when she spoke, her angry emerald eyes fixed on the pink toad in front of her.

"No, Xem. I refuse let anyone else get hurt tonight. She's here for me. This is my fight."

Umbridge laughed even more. "I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time."

"I'm sure you have..." she said almost casually.

Harry could see that Xemerius closed his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath.

"Look around, Minerva," Umbridge laughed again and waved at the mass of people standing behind her.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a person who kills an eleven year old girl without _any_ magical education instead of coming after me yourself," she snapped, her eyes cold with anger and her body shaking.

"She did _what_?" Hermione asked, shocked.

Xemerius sighed, a sad look in his eyes. "This is not the right time for that story…"

"I see you're still not over your little sister's most _unfortunate_ death… but, well, if it makes you feel any better... you'll join her soon," the toad laughed again, her followers doing the same and Harry felt sick.

He also observed that his Professor didn't show _any_ kind of fear regarding the amount of wands pointed at her.

"Well, allow me to have some doubts, considering that all your previous attempts to kill me worked out so perfectly. You know, I am quite surprised you didn't tell your little black guys over there to attack the castle in the middle of the night."

"Merlin's beard, that's not right the time for sarcasm Min!" Xemerius shouted exasperated.

Harry turned around and gave his friends a confused look.

Judging by their facial expressions they didn't have any clue about what was going on either. Hermione continued to watch the scene playing out in front of them, standing there motionless, almost like stunned.

Then it hit him like a broomstick on his head, and he remembered something Madam Pomfrey told him years ago. ' _I don't wonder you're shocked, Potter, as if one of them could have stunned Minerva McGonagall face-on by daylight! Cowardice, that's what it was… despicable cowardice.'_

"The stunners!" Harry exclaimed, looking shocked at Xemerius. "It was a planned attack!"

The silver eyed wizard gave a grim nod. "Yes, and it wasn't the first."

Harry was about to reply when he suddenly heard one single word, that caused him to stop dead in his tracks and get goosebumps all over his body.

" _Attack!"_ Umbridge shouted in her terribly high voice and sent her curse flying directly at Professor McGonagall.

.

To Harry's and probably everyone else's relieve she immediately blocked the spell with a flick of her wand. Within seconds, she had the first row of black guys disarmed and with just a wave of her hand she sent them flying against the castle walls; knocking them out all at once.

Harry, completely astonished by the skills his transfiguration Professor showed, heard Xemerius releasing the breath he apparently had been holding and a small smile made its way over his face.

"The bloody woman hasn't lost her touch," the silvery-eyed wizard said, shaking his head. Even Aidan chuckled when he heard that.

The duel went on for what Harry felt were hours.

Curses were sent in every direction, even causing the shield charm Professor McGonagall had set up earlier to crack slightly.

Harry watched his Professor in amazement. He knew she was a great witch, but now he could really see why she was considered to be the most powerful witch in the whole wizarding world.

She moved so fast to avoid several hexes flying towards her direction, one would think she was not a day older than thirty.

Apparently Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the others couldn't believe it either, for they were observing the scene wide eyed and open mouthed; with their hands pressed against the shield and unable to move.

Then it happened; they all saw it like the scene was played in slow motion, unable to do anything.

"Watch out, Professor!" Fred had shouted, but it was too late.

The transfiguration mistress efficiently sent counter-spells against the curses coming toward her from the front. What she hadn't seen was the spell directed at her from the side and Harry watched in shock as Umbridge's spell hit her unexpectedly, causing her to fly backwards and crash against her own protection charm in front of Harry and the others.

"No!" Aidan and Xemerius exclaimed at the same time when they saw their friend lying on the ground and Harry bristled with anger when he noticed that Umbridge was laughing like a happy little school girl.

"Game over, Minerva," she turned around to her followers. "Hogwarts will be ours!"

At the sight of his friend, Xemerius' legs gave in and he dropped to his knees. Arthur took a crying Molly in his arms, Hermione and Ginny had tears streaming down her face, Aidan slowly closed his eyes.

Harry – who in a way had always thought of the black haired, emerald eyed witch as some kind of grandmother – stared at the body lying in front of them, frozen in shock.

"Hold on a second," Xemerius whispered suddenly. "The protection charm... It didn't vanish!"

And all of a sudden, the witch on the ground moved.

She flicked her wand and daggers of fire shot towards her attackers; only missing Umbridge herself and some black guys standing too far away.

The emerald eyed witch slowly got up, pain clearly written on her face. Blood dropped from an open wound at her head as well as her chest. She wordlessly summoned a stick lying around and leaned heavily on it.

"She's probably got a heavy concussion, wounded chest and a broken leg," Aidan mumbled to himself, looking concerned as concerned as Xemerius and Harry. "And she's using much more magic than she should..."

"You want to give it another try, Dolores?" The transfiguration mistress asked, breathing heavily, "though I do have to admit that this was your best attempt so far!"

Xemerius rolled his eyes at her and had it been a less dangerous situation, Harry might have laughed.

.

Then he heard one small _'pop'_ after another and he looked around, trying to figure out what it was.

"It seems your little group is letting you down, Dolores," Professor McGonagall pointed out and Harry could see it too now.

One after another, the attackers disapparated and vanished from the hall.

"What do you think you're doing? Attack her!" Umbridge exclaimed furious.

"You can't make us! You never told us we were going up against _her_ in the first place!" One of the remaining men shouted.

Harry noticed that he sounded scared and insecure and he couldn't help but smile a little. _You have every right to be scared_ , he thought.

"This doesn't have anything to do with revenge for our fallen master. We're done here," this said he vanished; the other ones mirroring his actions immediately, leaving the pink toad alone in the middle.

Furious, she raised her wand, aimed it at the Professor and shouted "Avada Ked-"

But this time Professor McGonagall was faster. "Expelliarmus," was all she said, disarming Umbridge and with another wave of her hand, a broken chair transformed into a thick rope, which she securely tied around Umbridge's feet and shoulders.

Then, the transfiguration mistress took in a deep breath and limped towards her angry, tied up enemy, and picked up her wand.

"This is not over, Minerva," the pink toad shouted, and Harry couldn't imagine why she smiled.

"I think it is," was the cold reply.

Before anyone else could say anything, Harry could see another figure in dark robes entering the great hall from the side that wasn't protected by the charm.

"What in Merlin's name happened here?" The voice of a younger woman asked, clearly worried and Harry's heart skipped a beat when he recognized the soft voice of the woman.

.

Professor McGonagall looked at her and sighed in relieve; apparently lucky it wasn't someone else trying to attack the castle but she didn't answer the question.

Harry on the other hand turned around sharply, looking at Ginny with wide eyes. He didn't even notice that Aidan and Xemerius, too, sighed in relieve at the woman's appearance.

"It's her, Gin!" He exclaimed excited.

"Who?" Ron asked confused.

"None of your concern, Ron!" Ginny snapped at her brother, before taking Harry's hand in hers. "Yes, Harry, I recognized her, too!"

Xemerius banged against the shield again. "Damn it, Minerva, lower that bloody charm and let us in for Merlin's sake," he cursed.

"What?" The transfiguration mistress asked confused, turned her attention away from the woman and looked at her friend when she remembered.

"Oh, I apologize, Xem," and with yet another wave of her hand she undid the _protego-maxima_ charm.

Harry was the first to make a move, grabbed Ginny's hand and began to walk straight towards Professor McGonagall, Umbridge and the woman.

"You know Minerva, I realize I may never be able to kill you. But causing you pain is far more enjoyable anyway. " Umbridge said in her high pitched voice and started laughing again. "And there is no better way to hurt you than killing one of your precious students."

The next things happened in split seconds. Harry saw too late that the toad somehow managed to wordlessly summon a small knife from one of her pockets and threw it directly towards him.

Professor McGonagall screamed something and the last thing Harry remembered was a swirl of black robes in front of his eyes, knocking him to the ground.

.

"Harry!" Ginny, Hermione and Ron screamed at the same time, running towards him with Xemerius and Aidan following them.

"Potter! Are you alright?" Professor McGonagall asked, white as a sheet of paper, as she rushed to his side as fast as she could ignoring the pain from her head injury and broken leg.

Harry slowly got up, coughing hard. He had hid his head during the fall, but apart from that nothing hurt.

"I – I'm fine Professor," the young wizard said, his voice shaking. "She - She pushed me out of the way," he pointed at the woman lying next to him.

"Harry…" The woman's voice was nothing more than a soft whisper. She had one hand over her chest and when she tried to move, Harry grabbed her arm; trying to steady her.

"S…Sorry," she whispered, breathing heavily and looking at both Harry and Professor McGonagall with a pair of beautiful bright blue eyes.

The black haired witch moved closer, laid a supporting arm around the woman and looked her up and down; concern clearly written in her emerald eyes.

"Dear, what are you talking abou – No!" She exclaimed and her eyed widened in shock; her whole body began to shake.

Harry also moved to get a better look and he saw the reason for Professor McGonagall's shock.

"I – I wasn't f-fast e-enough – " The blue-eyed witch stuttered.

Harry first looked utterly confused, then he saw it: Blood - a lot of blood - was coming through from under the hand she had placed over her chest.

Then her eyes closed, her head fell backwards against the transfiguration mistress' body.

With the last energy she could muster, she moved her now bloody hand to reveal Umbridges' knife that was stuck in her chest; only inches away from the woman's heart.

Harry's eyes filled with tears.

_His godmother's heart._


	6. Medical skills or lack there of

Harry couldn't move. He couldn't even speak anymore. He was frozen in shock, unable to do anything. Tears were freely falling from his eyes, flowing down his cheeks, but he didn't care. He barely realized Ron, Hermione and Ginny running towards them to stand next to him, followed closely by Xemerius and Aidan. Or Moody, who walked straight to Umbridge and with a flick of his wand put a thick iron chain around her. All Harry could do was stare at the scene enfolding in front of him. He watched, completely horrified, as Professor McGonagall, white as a sheet of paper and hands shaking, reacted within seconds. Whispering some complicated spells Harry had never even heard of, she pressed her thin hands on his godmother's chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. But it didn't work. With each passing second more and more blood spilled from the wound through his teacher's fingers and a pool of dark red blood started to form around the two witches on the ground.

"Minerva!" Xemerius shouted, causing Harry to snap out of his stunned silence. Professor McGonagall however, didn't react at all.

Aidan, who had already transfigured himself a pair of medical gloves, a white lab coat, and a medical bag, knelt down next to the injured witch with a pained expression on his face.

"Merlin, that's way too much blood. Expecto Patronus!" He muttered and a silver fox appeared. "Get Poppy here as soon as possible; tell her it's an emergency level 5."

Harry had no idea what that meant, but as he watched the silver fox head of to find the mediwitch, he knew it wasn't good at all.

"Minerva, get your hands of her immediately." Aidan suddenly ordered in a demanding, but surprisingly calm voice. For a brief moment Harry wondered how and where the young healer learned to gain that kind of authority that everyone listened to what he said. Well, almost everyone. Again, the transfiguration mistress didn't move a single muscle, her small hands still pressed around the knife and her eyes fixed on the unconscious woman lying in front of her, whose head was resting on the Professor's lap.

It was the first time that Harry could take a proper look at his godmother. Her bright blue eyes, which Harry had looked into earlier, were still closed and her long, black hair - though nicely braided in a French twist with only some loose strands – created a frightening contrast to her beautiful, but now ashen face.

"Damn it, Minerva, move! Hang in there, _love_! Xem, I need your help; you know what to do." Aidan said the first to Professor McGonagall; the second to Harry's bleeding godmother and the latter to the silver eyed wizard, who acted without a moment of hesitation. He walked around Professor McGonagall, and Harry watched in amazement as he managed to snatch her wand out of her robes, then wrapped his arms tightly around his friend and tried to drag her away, while muttering a spell that caused a soft pillow to appear under the other woman's head.

"Stop! Aidan – What are you doing?! Let me go, Xemerius!" she screamed desperately, struggling to get out of Xemerius' grip, and a burst of uncontrolled magic shattered one of the windows behind them. "We have to do something or she'll bleed to death!"

Harry was shocked when he saw his teacher. All color was drained from her face, her lips thinner than a line, blood flowing down from her own wound on the forehead and her usually bright emerald green eyes were clouded with unshed tears. But the thing that frightened Harry the most was what he saw in them. Something he had never seen in them before. _Fear._ Not even when she faced Voldemort himself.

As soon as Professor McGonagall's hands had left the body, Aidan replaced them with his own to stop the bleeding.

"I am trying to do my job and therefore I need you to be rational, Minerva! Your hands are way too small to stop a bleed like this! Even mine aren't big enough."

To Harry's horror he was right. Even though less blood spilled through Aidan's bigger hands, it was still too much.

"Furthermore, you are bleeding yourself! I cannot let her get in contact with your blood, it could cause serious infections!" he said and looked at her sternly. Professor McGonagall's eyes widened in shock and she nodded in understanding. Xemerius eased his grip on her and just held her, offering comfort, as they all watched the Healer do his work.

Suddenly Madam Pomfrey came rushing into the hall, pushing a hospital bed in front of her, trying to make her way through the crowd of people that had formed around them. With a sharp "Out of my way, Weasley!" she pushed an open mouthed Ron to the side and when she stopped, the first one she spotted was Harry himself.

"Oh, Potter, I should have known it was you again. "

"Harry's fine. " Xemerius pointed out, causing the mediwitch to turn towards him. "It's – "

"Oh, Merlin!" This time the Mediwitch interrupted him as her eyes fell on Professor McGonagall, who was shaking uncontrollably in her friends arms.

"Heavens, Minerva, look at you! What have you done? Head injured, probably a broken leg and at least four broken ribs! You're soaked in blood! We need to-"

"Poppy -" Professor McGonagall cut in, her voice full of desperation. "Please - Please do something. You – You have to help Dan. She – She – It's Arina! She's bleeding to death, please - please save her!"

Harry and Hermione - and assumingly everyone else - stared at the transfiguration Mistress in shock. Not only because of all her injuries, but for the fact that they had never seen her losing control in front of her students before. Tears fell down her cheeks, her whole body was shaking and without Xemerius' support she probably wouldn't be able to stand on her own anymore.

Madam Pomfrey turned around once more, and her eyes widened as she noticed Aidan and the bleeding witch on the ground. For a short moment she covered her mouth with her hands, suppressing a scream.

"Holy Godric! Hold on, my dear! Aidan, what happened?" she asked Aidan, and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"You see that knife? Barely missed her heart by inches. It won't stop bleeding, so I think it probably hit the aorta. We have to get her off the ground so I can start working. Fast."

Harry and his friends watched in awe as they, with a carefully cast _wingardium leviosa_ , lifted the limp body up and placed her on the hospital bed.

"Wait, you plan on doing this all here?" Madam Pomfrey asked slightly confused, gesturing around the hall and all the people standing around. Harry could see everyone else was thinking the same as the old witch.

"I wouldn't have to if the hospital wing wasn't already otherwise occupied." Aidan snapped.

This answer left the Mediwitch speechless. "But-"

"There's no time!" Aidan said a little edgy.

Harry observed in amazement that he was conjuring all kind of medical things with his wand while his other hand was still pressed on his godmother's chest. He just hoped that Aidan was as good a healer as everyone always said. After all, he couldn't lose his godmother now that he found her!

"I need you to get me some space around here. I'll set up a medical curtain so I won't be disturbed and she'll have at least some kind of privacy. I try to get her more stable, but I need your help to perform an emergency surgery as soon as possible. You'll join me right after you fixed Minerva." Aidan ordered and Madam Pomfrey nodded, turning her attention to Professor McGonagall, who – in Harry's opinion - looked even worse than before.

"Don't you even dare waste your time on me, Poppy! I can fix myself and you bloody well know it!" she snapped to everyone's surprise, before the mediwitch could say a single word.

"Don't be stupid, Minerva! You cannot even stand on your own anymore!" Moody shouted from behind. The Scottish witch shot him an angry glare and in a weak attempt to convince everyone that they were wrong, the transfiguration mistress tried to free herself from her friend's arms and took a step forward. This, however, only proved the opposite and Harry watched horrified as her legs gave in and she almost hit the ground if Xemerius hadn't caught her in time.

"You were saying, Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey snapped in return and rolled her eyes.

The transfiguration mistress looked defeated as she clung to her friend. "Just go! Please! She needs you more than I do!"

"You go, Poppy, I'll look after Min." Xemerius said.

Ignoring Professor McGonagall's weak "I don't need anyone to look after me!" the mediwitch actually started laughing.

"I don't mean to be rude; Xem, but that's completely out of the question! You have always been horrible in healing spells. Worse than Alastor, and that's almost impossible." She shot both men a slightly annoyed look.

Professor McGonagall looked directly at Aidan, who was working constantly, her green eyes pleading with him.

"There's no arguing, Minerva. You're injured, someone skilled needs to-"

"Alright, then please, just let Miss Granger perform the bloody spells. She is more than capable of doing it, right?" she asked, her eyes fixed on Aidan as she gestured with one hand towards Hermione.

The young healer looked at Hermione, who was obviously shocked to hear her favorite Professor suggest something like that.

"You're alright with that, Hermione?" Dan asked his niece concerned.

"I- I think so, yes." Was the somewhat overwhelmed answer. She looked at Professor McGonagall who apparently had accepted that she wouldn't get away without any sort of treatment. The Scottish witch just nodded to Hermione, then fixed her sad and tired emerald eyes on Aidan.

"Dan, please, go get Poppy and stop fussing over me! You – You need to save her. That's all I ask for. Arina's life is worth more than mine and we both know that." Her voice was thick and full of emotion as she sent him a meaningful look, which Aidan apparently understood and he vanished with Madam Pomfrey behind the curtain; the transfiguration mistress on the other hand leant back on her friend with a deep sigh.

As soon as the two of them were gone, people started to talk all at the same time. Harry noticed some of them were still shocked from all the things that happened and sat down on several tables to calm down. Mr. Weasley and Neville helped Augusta Lonbottom up, who had apparently fainted by the sight of so much blood. But before he could look around further, Harry was hugged tightly by Ginny and Hermione, Ron patted him on the shoulder.

"Bloody hell, mate, you're sure you're alright?" he asked concerned.

Harry nodded and stared at the curtain, wondering what was going on behind it. Ginny who had noticed this, kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Don't worry, Harry. Aidan is the best. She'll pull through. She won't leave you."

"I just can't stop thinking – she saved my life! What if she doesn't make it? I mean, I just found her, I - " he couldn't go on.

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, obviously confused.

"Harry, what exactly is going on? Do you know her?" Hermione asked and a lot of people looked at him expectantly.

Harry took a deep breath, trying to prevent new tears from falling down. He had to be strong now; after all he was a Gryffindor.

"Yes – No. I mean – not really." He stuttered.

"Maybe you should try to form a complete sentence for starters, so we could actually understand whatever you were trying to tell us." Said ghost-Fred while he was flying towards Harry.

Harry closed his eyes for a short moment, trying to clear sort out his thoughts, then opened them again and looked at his friends and the people he considered family. He wondered whether he should tell them or not. But then he remembered Ginny's words and decided on the first.

"She – She's my godmother."

A stunned silence followed. Almost everyone stared at him, shocked. Hermione's eyes went wide.

"What? But this is – Oh my goodness! That – That's great, Harry!" she hugged him again.

"Where – I mean, how – I mean, when did you find out?" Neville asked, astonished.

"Neville, for Merlin's sake, don't stutter like that or we won't understand a thing, dear." Augusta Longbottom interrupted, causing even Moody to chuckle.

Harry however gave his friend a sympathetic look and answered his question.

"When Gin and I went to the graveyard in Godric's hollow, she was standing in front of my parent's grave. We overheard her talking. To my mother. About me." Harry explained.

"Bloody hell!" was all Ron said and Hermione elbowed him slightly in the ribs.

"She vanished before I had the chance to speak to her. I thought I'd never see her again." Harry continued.

"Oh, Harry, dear, I am so happy for you!" Mrs. Weasley smiled at him.

Harry didn't like being this emotional but somehow he couldn't hold back his tears anymore. "But – But what if she really dies?"

"You need to have faith, Harry. It'll be alright." Luna said reassuringly and Harry shot her a thankful glance. He also noticed she had apparently taken Batty with her, who was sitting on her shoulder, looking kind of sad. _If a bat is even capable of showing any kind of emotion,_ he mused.

"I would offer to go and take a quick look how everything's going in there, but that curtain seems to be kind of ghost-proof." Fred said disappointed, causing everyone – including Harry – to smile; and it took some time until all the laughers around him had quietened down a little.

"So. Just out of curiosity… why haven't you heard of her before? I mean, if she's your godmother and all, shouldn't she have done something for you in the past?" Ron asked bluntly.

"Don't be rude, Ronald!" Hermione scolded him.

"I didn't mean to. But honestly, you cannot tell me that I am the only one who is wondering about that." He said defensively.

"She just saved his life!" Hermione shouted.

"And we heard her talking, Ron!" Ginny intervened, "She obviously cares about Harry otherwise – like Hermione already mentioned – she wouldn't have thrown herself in front of that knife. She clearly must have had a good reason for staying in the shadows for all those years."

Harry kissed her cheek and whispered a small _thank you_ in her ear. But before he could say anything to stop his two best friends from arguing any further, Mrs Weasley calmly held up a hand.

"Children, stop fighting. We had enough of that already."

When she saw the two of them give a defeated nod, the older red head looked at Harry and continued. "Harry, dear, I can imagine this a lot to take in. But to put your mind on ease I can tell you that – though I don't know who she is – I have seen her before."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and his heart began to beat faster. "You have? Really? Where?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled and patted his shoulder. "Yes, Harry, I remember her voice. I only saw her once in Grimmauld Place. She never attended a meeting, but from what I have heard, she's a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. He felt his lips forming into a big smile.

"So someone has to know her properly! Thanks, Mrs. Weasley!" he said, hope clearly audible in his voice, and he gave Mrs. Weasley a big hug.

"Your welcome, dear. And don't give your hopes up." She said and returned the hug.

When she released him, Harry saw Hermione with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You know, Harry, I think you should ask Professor McGonagall about her." She suggested. "She's been Dumbledore's second hand concerning both Hogwarts and the Order; and she called her Arina."

Harry stared at Hermione, and his smile grew even wider. _Arina._ Now he finally knew his godmother's name!

"That's brilliant, Hermione! She knew her name, and until Dan is done with his work I am sure she can tell you more about your godmother." Ginny added happy.

"I'm really sorry to interrupt all this, and I am sure Minerva will be happy to help you find answers to your questions. But as annoying as Poppy can be sometimes, I have to admit that she was right about my medical skills – or lack thereof. I really do suck at this stuff. Therefore I could really need some help right now." Xemerius interrupted, worry clearly visible in his silver eyes. "Minerva just passed out completely."

The happy chattering immediately stopped and almost everyone in the great hall turned around sharply; just in time to see Xemerius making his way towards them – carefully carrying the slim body of the now unconscious transfiguration mistress in his arms.


End file.
